A South Dakota couple who has been married for 70 years and is still as much in love as when they first tied the knot shared the secret to their happy, long-lasting relationship.
Melvin Lubbers, 92, and Nancy Lubbers, 87, first met at the local skating rink in Mitchell, South Dakota, in 1951.
“Grandpa likes to say that he ’swept grandma off her feet' while they were rollerblading,” said the couple’s granddaughter, Anna Behning, 24.
They fell head over heels in love and were engaged within months.
Melvin recalled proposing to Nancy at a local park and jokes that he’s “not sure she ever said yes!” The couple tied the knot on Jan. 6, 1952, at First Lutheran Church in Mitchell.
Nancy recalled buying her wedding gown from Jarold’s Shop, a store owned by her neighbor’s mother. She said her dress cost her $35 and the veil cost $15.
Looking back at the day, Nancy remembered the “gorgeous red rose bouquet,” while Melvin remembered eating cake and ice cream after the church service, with their entire extended families in attendance.
According to Melvin, the ceremony wasn’t too glamorous.
Weeks after their special day, Melvin was deployed with the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean War. Communication with his new wife was limited.
“We couldn’t just pick up the phone and call each other,” Nancy said. “We had to wait for letters to arrive, and that’s the only form of communication we got.”
When Melvin returned home safely to Mitchell, he became a salesman and ran a hobby sheep farm on the side. Nancy worked at the local grocery store and raised the couple’s five children.
Today, 70 years later, their family has grown to include 12 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
“Having our five children grow up at home and go on to have families of their own is something we are very proud of,” Nancy said. “Our family means everything to us, and we love it when they come and visit.”
In order to celebrate Melvin and Nancy’s seven decades together, the couple’s granddaughter, Behning, who works as a full-time wedding photographer, came up with the idea to have a romantic photo shoot of her grandparents.
Behning, who grew up near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and currently lives in Marshall, told The Epoch Times: “My mom and I were driving up to Mitchell one afternoon when we got onto the topic of wedding attire. I was preparing for my own wedding, which was about a month after this shoot took place, so I had weddings on the brain!”
She was aware that her grandmother still had her wedding dress, so she asked her mom if she thought her grandmother would wear it again.
“To our surprise, grandma was ecstatic to get in her gown again,” Behning said.
The mom and daughter duo then had the idea of coercing Melvin back into his old army uniform.
“He wasn’t as thrilled to play ‘dress up,’” Behning said. “So you'll see in the photos we kind of strapped it on him!”
The impromptu shoot took place in Melvin and Nancy’s backyard on April 3, 2021, about nine months before their 70th wedding anniversary. Behning claimed that the lovebirds were “so cute together” and that she'll treasure the photos forever.
While Melvin made lighthearted jokes during the photo shoot, Nancy was “just so enamored” that she still fit into her dress.
On seeing Nancy in her wedding gown, Melvin let out a whistle and called her beautiful.
“Seventy years later, and he still thinks she’s the prettiest thing to walk planet Earth, even when she’s not in her wedding dress,” Behning said.
For their wedding anniversary in January, her mother and her sister brought cake and ice cream to Melvin and Nancy’s house to celebrate.
“As a wedding photographer, I can almost predict whether a couple is going to stay together for a lifetime,” Behning said. “The main indicator is how they treat each other on their wedding day and before the wedding day when I’m working with them.
“If they put their partner’s needs in front of their own and display a selfless love, they are bound to be together forever.”
Being witness to their long-standing love, Behning admires the steadfast couple for their mutual respect and their ability to solve problems. She also appreciates them for passing their Christian wisdom down to their family.
Seventy years together has also given Melvin and Nancy insight into what makes for a long and happy marriage.
“Forget and forgive, and make the best out of your life situations,” Nancy told The Epoch Times. “Melvin can be pretty stubborn sometimes, and I had to learn how to take his teasing.”
Although Nancy gets aggravated at those times, she knows that Melvin loves her.
“Whenever you have a disagreement, be sure to sit down and come up with a solution,” Melvin said. “Once you have a solution, don’t bring it back up again.”
The couple also shared advice for young couples in love: “Always keep God at the center of your marriage and think of the other person before yourself.”
